Vehicle-top.



PATENTBD APR. 21, 1903.

G. W.- KERNDDLE.

VEHICLE TOP.

APPLICATION FILED JUNE 5, 1902.

2 SHEETSSHEET 1.

N0 MODEL.

George WET/204k. hvzyvboi IWHM-aoocq attowyua Tm; Noun 1s mm ca PrmToLnHm WASHINGTON. a. c,

PATENTBD APR. 21, 1903.

' G. W. KERNODLE.

VEHIOLE TOP. I APPLICATION FILED JUNE 5, 1902.

2 SHEETS-SHEET '2.

N0 MODEL.

George Wfi'er aide,

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UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

GEORGEWVASHINGTON KERNODLE, OF ELON COLLEGE, NORTH CAROLINA.

VEH lCLE-TO P.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent N 0. 725,722, dated April 21, 1903.

7 Application filed June 5,1902. SerialNo. 110,336. (No model.)

To all whom it may concern.

Be it known that I, G ORGE WASHINGTON KERNODLE, a citizen of the United States, residing at 'Elon College, in the county of Alamance and State of North Carolina, have invented a new and useful Vehicle-Top, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to vehicle-tops, and more particularlyto that class described and covered by claims in an application for patent (now allowed) filed by me on November 20, 1901, Serial No. 83,045.

The object of the present invention is to improve the structure set forth in said application by employing a novel construction of top which will shield the occupants of the vehicle from the elements, said top being compactly foldable and when in extended position keeping the cover taut and unwrinkled, even should the latter become stretched.

The preferred form of construction is fully illustrated in the accompanying drawings and described in the following specification; but it will be seen upon an inspection of the claims hereto attached that the structure shown and described is open to various changes without departing from the spirit of the invention.

In the drawings, Figure 1 is a vertical 1ongitudinal sectional View through the improved top. Fig. 2 is a vertical transverse section. Fig. 3 is a detail perspective view of one of the runners, showing the arrangement and connection of the brace-links. Fig. 4 is a perspective view of one of the socket-pieces employed in connecting the cross-bar and the standard. Fig. 5 is a detail perspective view more clearly illustrating the connection of the links with the stretcher-rods.

Similar numerals of reference designate corresponding partsin all the figures of the drawlngs.

The general arrangement is substantially the same as that described in the prior structure. Spaced upright standards 10 are employed, pivoted at their lower ends to the usual projections 11 and connected at their upper ends by a cross-bar 12. The manner of connection is clearly shown in Figs. 2 and 4. Socket-pieces 13 are secured to the upper ends of the standard and have angularly-disposed flanges 14, which embrace and are fastened to the cross-bar 12. This cross-bar extends beyond the standards, and its ends 15 are preferably downturned, said ends being connected to the standards by braces 16. A plurality of stretcherrods 17 are arranged in spaced-relation to the cross-bar, the ends of said rods curving downwardly, as shown, and to these rods and the crossbar is secured the covering 18, which may be of any well-known material that can be folded. Slidably mounted on the standards are runners 19, arranged to be securedat any desired point by means of earns 20, pivoted thereto and movable into and out of engagement with the standards. Main links 21 are pivoted to the runners and to the outer stretcher-rods, as shown in Fig. 1. Other links 22 are pivotally connected to this main link 21 and extend to the other stretcher-rods 17, to which they are pivotally connected, as shown in Fig. 5. Braces 2 3 are arranged in intersecting relation with these links 22 and extend to the stretcherrods 17, certain of said braces being pivotally connected to the links 22. The inner braces 23 have at their inner ends eyes 24, which are slidably mounted upon the inner ends of the main links 21, and supplementary braces 23 are also provided with eyes which are slidably mounted upon said inner braces 23, all of which is clearly shown in Fig. 1. These braces 23 and 23 practically constitute segmental stays extending from the inner ends of the main links to the stretcher-rods. As a result a lazy-tongs frame is provided which will compactly fold, and the portions of the links and braces which connect the different stretcher-rods and the standards constitute jointed ribs that hold said stretcher-rods in their spaced relation. The runners are preferably provided with hooked portions 25, behind which the main links engage, as shown in Fig. 3, thus preventing any vibration of the frame. In like manner the socket-pieces 13 are provided with depending hooks 26, behind which the inner links that are pivotally connected to said socket-pieces engage. This latter arrangement is illustrated in Figs. 1 and 4. The standards are held in their upright positions by means of props 27, comprisin g sections pivotally connected to each other and to the standards and the seat. It will be noted that this arrangement is different from that described in the other application, wherein the props were connected to the runners.

By this construction a very rigidly supported top is provided that extends beyond each side of the vehicle-body, so as to shield the occupants from the rain and sun. The frame for holding the top extended is extremely light and at the same time is firm and stable and is so constructed that the covering is held perfectly tight and unwrinkled when the top is extended. The device can of course be compactly folded when desired and dropped back of the seat. It will therefore be seen that all the objects mentioned in the preliminary portion of the specification are accomplished by the present construction.

From the foregoing it is thought that the construction, operation, and many advantages of the herein-described invention will be apparent to those skilled in the art without further description, and it will be understood that various changes in the size, shape, proportion, and minor details of construction may be resorted to without departing from the spirit or sacrificing any of the advantages of'-the invention. For instance, a greater or less number of 'stretcher-rodsmay be employed, in which case a greater or smaller number of braces and links will be used, and the invention clearly comprehends such changes, as will be evident upon an inspection of the following claims.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim as new, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is

1. In a vehicle-top, the combination with a standard, of a runner slidably mounted on the standard, a plurality of stretcher-rods, a main link pivotally connecting the runner and one of the rods, and another link pivoted to the main link and to another stretcher-rod.

2. In a vehicle-top, the combination with a standard, of a runner slidably mounted on the standard, a plurality of stretcher-rods, slidably-associated links pivotally connected to the rods, and a connection between said links and the runner.

3. In a vehicle-lop, the combination with a standard, of a runner slidably mounted on the standard, a plurality of stretcher-rods, a main link pivotally connecting the link and one of the rods, and other links arranged in intersecting relation, certain of said latter links being pivotally connected to the stretcher-rods and to the main link, others being slidably associated with said main link.

4. In a vehicle-top, the combination with a supporting-standard, of a runner slidably mounted upon the standard, a plurality of stretcher-rods, and a rib connecting the stretcher-rods and comprising a plurality of links pivotally connected to the rods and to each other, one of said links being pivotally connected to the runner, others being slid ably associated with said link and with each other.

5. In a vehicle-top, the combination with a standard, of a runner slidably mounted upon the standard, a plurality of stretcher-rods, a main link pivotally connecting the runner and the outer rod, and other links pivotally connected to said main link and to the stretcher-rods.

6. In a vehicle-top, the combination with a standard, of a runner slidably mounted upon the standard, a plurality of spaced stretcherrods, a main link pivotally connecting the runner and the outer rod, other links pivotally connected to said main link and to the stretcher-rods, and braces slidably associated with said main link and connected to the other links.

7. In a vehicle-top, the combination with a standard, of a runner slidably mounted upon the standard and having a stop hook, a stretcher-rod, and a link pivotally connecting the runner and the rod, said link being movable to a position behind the stop-hook.

8. In a vehicle-top, the combination with a supporting-standard, of a runner slidably mounted upon the standard, a plurality of stretcher rods, and a rib connecting the stretcher-rods and comprising a plurality of links pivotally connected to the rods and to each other, one of said links being pivotally attached to the runner, and another being slidably associated with said pivotally-attached link.

9. In a vehicle-top, the combination with a standard, of a runner slidably mounted upon the standard, a plurality of stretcher-rods, a main linkpivotallyconnecting the runnerand the outer rod, and another link pivotally con nected to said main link and to an intermediate stretcher-rod.

10. In a vehicle-top, the combination with a standard, of a runner slidably mounted upon the standard, a plurality of spaced stretcherrods, a main link pivotally connecting the runner and the outer rod, another link pivotally connected to said main link, and a brace pivotally attached to this latter link and slidably associated with the main link.

In testimony that I claim the foregoing as myown I have hereto affixed my signature in the presence of two witnesses.

GEORGE WASHINGTON KERNODLE.

WVit-nesses:

J AS. K. WILLIAMSON, M. E. MOLSINGER. 

